Demons Take Two From Winless Southeast

Dodge City, KS (westernkansasnews.com) The Dodge City High School Baseball team has definitely rebounded from their shaky start to the season when they lost two straight to conference rival Hays. Since then the Red Demons have rattled off wins in five of their last six games including a doubleheader sweep over Wichita Southeast Friday 4-1 and 12-2.  

Game One Highlights

Both Dodge City starting pitchers went the distance. Dayton McGroarty notched his second win of the season at 2-0 giving up one run on seven hits. From the fourth inning until the end of the game, McGroarty retired 13 of the last 14 batters.  Dodge City also literally ran over Southeast stealing twenty bases in twenty-one steal attempts.

Southeast scored the first run of the game in the third on a RBI single from Golden Buffaloes pitcher Kaleb Johnson. Dodge answered with three runs in the bottom of the third, Brandon Roy scored on a throwing error from Southeast shortstop Aaryn Bennett, Eric Reid on a dropped flyball by the centerfielder Kevin Baffoe and RBI single from DC catcher Gideon Wells.

The Demons added an insurance run in the fourth on Roy’s RBI single wrapping up the scoring in game one.

Game Two Highlights

Game two saw the Red Demons (5-3) jump out early with RBI singles from Bryce Unruh and Gideon Wells. Wells then scored on another Bennett throwing error at shortstop.

Brandon Roy coasted through the first five innings on the mound for Dodge City for his first varsity win (1-1). He gave up a pair of RBI singles to Chance Little and Kaleb Johnson in the sixth as the Golden Buffaloes pulled to within 6-2.

Wells, Roy and Luke Royle all added RBI singles in the third inning off Golde Buffaloes starting pitcher Hayden Witt and in the sixth Dodge scored six runs reaching the run rule of 10 to end the game early.

The first eight reached base against relievers Aaryn Bennett and Chance Little. Following a wild pitch by Bennett which brought in Kaden Riekenberg, McGroarty and Unruh had RBI singles, Roy and Ryan Armstong were hit by Little’s pitch with the bases loaded for a pair of runs and the game ended on Luke Royle’s RBI groundout.

Dodge City Coach Zach Shipley Post-game Comments

Dodge City will jump into WAC play next Friday with a doubleheader at Clint Lightner Field in Garden City. Southeast continues to struggle with a 0-7 mark on the season.